Originally published on EdWeek Market Brief

By Emma Kate Fittes

2. Upskilling Teachers For AI

By 2030, IBM predicts that around 80 percent of tasks in major employment sectors, including education, will be influenced by AI, said Justina Nixon-Saintil, chief innovation officer for the tech company.

As with any new technology, companies will encounter about a third of teachers who grasp AI very quickly and see the benefit of it, she said. Another third will be cautiously curious. And the final third will require more guidance to show them the value and bring them along.

“Just like you need to be upskilled in the workforce... teachers have to upskill themselves,” Nixon-Saintil said. “For them to understand how to use it responsibly — and also how we can make a difference for students — they need to skill themselves and understand fundamentals of AI and AI ethics.”

When asked in recent EdWeek Market Brief surveys what specific features they want in AI products, support for teachers to become adept in using the tech was a top priority for U.S. K-12 officials.

Advancements in technology are not slowing, Nixon-Saintil said during a presentation at Bett. Advanced forms of cyber technology are also evolving, and rapid gains in quantum computing are “right around the corner,” she said.

“Before you know it, we have to learn and understand what quantum is,” Nixon-Saintil said. “That’s why lifelong learning is so imperative.”

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